Spring-cleaning has been a tradition in many families for years. Some people will host a spring-cleaning party where everyone who attends is helping to clean out the house while enjoying a day of food, conversations, camaraderie, and fun. While getting your car ready for spring might not exactly scream party, it deserves the same amount of attention that spring-cleaning your home would get.

Clean and Maintain the Inside

Cleaning the inside of the car does not end with vacuuming the carpet and emptying the ashtrays. You should make sure that the engine is clean and maintained. Open the hood, you should make sure that there is no debris that could have fallen or washed down the windshield and under the hood. Check the top of the battery. Wipe off any dirt and grime from the top and around the posts. This will make sure that the power from the battery is not weakened from the dirty connection. Clean off the spark plugs and wires and make sure that the wires are not frayed or broken. If the spark plugs and wires need to be replaced, then you should also change the gas filter to make sure that the new spark plugs and wires are sparking cleaner gas. You should also check your fluids and top off your windshield wiper fluid if needed. Keeping your engine clean also means an oil change. Clean oil protects the engine from damage from friction and heat. It also reduces the friction by providing the lowest coefficient of friction between the contacting surfaces. This results in less heat produced and less wear on the parts. Dirty oil allows debris to settle on the surfaces. The surfaces with the debris slide against each other, causing an increase of friction and heat produced. This puts more stress on the parts and it will compromise the integrity of the part, resulting in inevitable failure.

Clean and Maintain the Outside

Some people regularly clean their car on the outside but rarely think about how this simple task is saving them money. Washing the car removes the dirt and road salt from the winter season and keeps it from deteriorating the car surface. If the car is not washed often enough, the road salt will accumulate on the metal surfaces and the chemical reaction of the metals with the salt creates rust. If rust gets inside the engine via the gas supply or the oil, it contaminates the engine and causes failure. It is very important to keep your headlights clean. Buildup on the lens will dampen the light disbursement and it will be harder to see at night. Driving with impaired headlights in the dark is very dangerous and you could also receive a traffic ticket. Cleaning the outside of the car also benefits the undercarriage. Clearing away the road dirt and grime will prevent corrosion and other damage.

Why is Cleanliness Important in Spring?

Spring is the time where the nights are getting longer, the snow is melting, and the temperatures are getting warmer. It is very important that you keep your car clean in the winter and spring. In the northern states, winters bring extreme temperatures and a copious amount of snow. Salt is spread on the ground to melt the ice and provide traction on a frozen road for safer winter travel. When the snow melts, the salt is left on the ground. The spring brings rain and warmer weather that melts the snow and the water washes the salt and other debris up onto the car, particularly the undercarriage. This salt and dirt eats away at the surfaces and causes corrosion and other damage. Keeping your car clean will help your car last longer and save you money on costly auto repair.